Requiem of Eternity

The room was quiet but charged with purpose. Every corner felt alive with the hum of activity—whispers of strategy, clinks of weapons being adjusted, the soft rustle of clothes as the group prepared for what was to come. They were no longer just surviving; now, they had to figure out how to fight back. While Xander and the main group began brainstorming for the upcoming battle, the rest of the survivors busied themselves—from creating makeshift weapons to drawing maps of the floors, everyone was giving it their all because god knows they'd need nothing less.

Xander stood at the centre, arms crossed, watching as his co-workers readied themselves. With their new powers they had a lot more wiggle room with strategy , but nothing comes without a cost. The monsters weren't the only threat anymore—the group itself was becoming something different, and that could be as dangerous as any creature in the lower levels.

Xanders eyes moved from one person to the next, and then he turned to face Greg.

"Alright, Greg," Xander said, his voice firm but not unkind. "I've already seen part of your ability , I think its about time we find out just what you can do."

Greg stepped forward, eager to put his abilities to the test. Xander had seen the raw, destructive potential of his power first-hand, but now it was time to understand it better. Greg raised his hand, and the air around him seemed to shimmer. A low hum vibrated in the room, almost like static, as his power began to build.

Greg focused, his hand trembling slightly, and with a sharp motion, he sent a bolt of energy crackling through the room. It arced through the air, a jagged whip of power that slammed into the far wall, splintering the concrete with ease. The room shook with the impact, the floor vibrating beneath their feet.

"Damn," Xander muttered, watching as the sparks crackled in the wake of the attack. Greg's face twisted in concentration as he withdrew the energy, visibly straining to keep it under control.

Greg sighed, clearly frustrated. "I don't know why, but it's like it feeds off my aggression. The more pissed I get, the more it flares up."

Mike, who had been watching intently, spoke up. "Maybe it's not just aggression. You've been... under a lot of pressure lately, right? The more you're pushed, the more you're likely to lose control."

Greg grimaced but didn't argue. Mike was right. Greg had been fighting since long before this whole fiasco and everyone here knew what that he had his own quirks.

"That's… that's the thing," Greg said, panting slightly. "I can control it, to some extent, but the more I use it, the less I can control myself. It's like it has a mind of its own. I can direct the force, but the damage is always... huge. Against something tough like those monsters I can easily control their movements. Other than what's already been said..." Greg paused and lowered his voice , "it seems that something about the energy I give off is extremely attractive to them , when I first activated it the all rushed to me like a pack of hungry dogs." 

Xander nodded, processing what Greg had just demonstrated. "That's interesting , I've noticed that these monsters have disturbingly acute senses when it comes to discovering humans."

Seemingly lost in thought , laura mumbled , "Maybe we have something they want"

Xander turned his gaze to Laura, his brows furrowing slightly at her words. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone curious, but with an edge of uncertainty.

Laura looked up, her eyes sharp as she continued, "I mean, we've seen how they react to us—especially to Greg. They don't just attack randomly. They're drawn to us, like... like we're something they need." She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line. "What if it's not just about us being in the wrong place at the wrong time? What if they're after something specific?"

Xander felt a chill run down his spine. He'd thought of this before, but hearing it out loud made it feel more real. "Like what? Something about us?" He looked around the room at the others, wondering if any of them had considered that possibility.

Jared's pained voice shook Xander out of his trance ,"We can go hypothesising all we want , but there are lives on the line so lets prioritise at least." 

He sat calmly on a bench, seemingly at ease. But Xander could see the weariness in his eyes, the toll that his powers had taken on him. His healing ability was incredible, sure, but it came with a cost. From the conversation earlier Xander could gather that Jared's senses had been heightened to a point where even the smallest injury caused him intense pain. It wasn't just physical, either. The heightened awareness of his body's condition made the pain all-consuming, even in the moments where he wasn't actively healing.

"I'll try to demonstrate," Jared said quietly, wincing as he rose from the bench.

He held a large shard of glass and slowly made contact with his own skin. As a wound began to form , Xander could already see the flesh rapidly knitting together, it was miraculous, but not without its side effects. Jared's face contorted in pain, his breath quickening as though the act of healing was sending shockwaves through his nervous system. The pain was always there, just beneath the surface, even as his body was rapidly repaired.

"I can heal, yes," Jared said between shallow breaths. "But it doesn't come without consequences. I still feel everything, and that's not even the worst part..." 

Jared's breathing became less even his emotions clearly fluctuating , "Can you imagine what it feels like to die Xander?"

Xander frowned, his mind immediately going to the recent battles, the exhaustion that had pushed him to the edge. But death? He'd been close—too close—but the concept of dying, of truly dying, was something else entirely.

Jared's voice wavered slightly, but his eyes were intense, almost hollow. "I'm not talking about just pain, Xander. I mean the end. The feeling of everything shutting down, your body falling apart, knowing that there's nothing more after that." He shook his head, his hand gripping the edge of the table like he was trying to steady himself. "You don't just die and come back like nothing happened. It changes you. It marks you."

Xander felt a tightness in his chest, a flicker of empathy mixed with confusion. He had never really thought about it that way—Jared's powers seemed like a blessing on the surface, an undying body. But the way Jared was speaking now, it was clear that his ability to resurrect didn't come without its scars.

"Is that what's been happening to you?" Xander asked quietly, his voice softer now. "You've died before? And... you're still feeling it?"

Jared nodded slowly. "I don't fully understand it. But it happened. And every time I woke up, I felt... different. Less alive."

Xander's mind raced. The possibility of resurrection, even in an experimental sense, was beyond anything he had imagined. But the cost Jared paid for it was unknown , who knew just how many times he could come back before he stopped being human all together.

"Whatever it is," Xander said, his voice steady, "we need to be cautious with it. You're pushing your limits."

Jared didn't respond immediately, but the way his gaze flickered to the others told Xander everything. Jared had accepted what his abilities meant , but how much longer could he endure the pain before it became too much?

Xander turned towards mike , but before he could even say anything mike had disappeared.

Moving with an almost unnatural fluidity, Mikes body was a blur as he tested his newfound speed. Xander hadn't seen the effects of Mike's abilities before, but it was reminiscent of his own abilities in a certain aspect , he could only start to imagine how strong Mike could be. However , based on Mikes current performance that future is a long way away.

Once again , before Xander could get a word out Mike interrupted him.

"I'll try to go a little faster this time," Mike said, a rare note of excitement in his voice. He paced across the room, his form a streak of motion as he disappeared in a blur and reappeared on the opposite side.

Mike attempted to come to a stop, but it proved harder than he thought. A loud crashing noise sounded as the room once again began shaking.

Xander found himself frowning once again. "You..."

Mike coughed as he limped back towards the group. "I know. But when I'm in motion, it feels... unstoppable , I don't know how else to describe it"

The room grew silent for a moment. Each one of them had powers that could change the course of their survival , but it seemed like not a single one of them would be useful for what was to come.

"We're going to need to learn how to work together," Xander said, breaking the silence. "If we had more time I'm sure everyone here would be a formidable part of our strategy on their own but we don't have time."

"We need strategy. We need to better understand each other's limits, and most of all we need to be ready for what's coming."

The group exchanged looks, each of them silently acknowledging the truth in Xander's words. Their powers were unique, but they were also dangerous. if they didn't at least learn to manage their abilities, they wouldn't survive what was to come.

Xander's gaze shifted to the door. The monsters were out there, waiting. They could feel the pressure mounting. But they weren't just going to survive. They were going to fight back.

And this time, they would be ready.